Page 34 of Because You Said Yes

“Marriage is a sacred act.” She rubbed her temples as if to ward away a headache. “I’m sorry, but I can’t find you a temporary wife.”

“But you said you can get me anything. Charlotte, you are well-connected, and people like, trust, and respect you. You’re creative and energetic. I have nowhere else to turn.”

“Bastien, I’m a wedding planner, not a matchmaker. Brides to Go doesn’t exist.”

He set his jaw in stern determination. “I don’t see why not. After all, Nannies R Us is where Chloe found Rachel.”

“Well, we know she’d leave you at the altar. You get what you pay for.”

“I’m willing to pay. How does $75,000 for trying sound?”

Her jaw dropped. “You’re offering me $75,000 to find you a wife?”

“I’m offering that if you try, but I’ll pay you double if you succeed. I need a wife, and I need one now.” He grimaced as if the words burned his lips.

“Please don’t say no. Take the night and consider it. Surely, someone will exchange their time for money, especially to help a young girl who has just lost her mother.”

“How much time do you have before the court hearing?”

“It’s thirty days to the court appearance, but my mother is coming here in two weeks to check on Ivy, and she wants to meet my fiancée, of course. I can’t prevent her from coming. Depriving a young girl who had just lost her mother from her grandmother would look terrible to a judge. And I don’t want to do that to Ivy either. She needs all the love there is.”

Charlotte couldn’t understand why someone would marry for money rather than love. That was a big reason she started her wedding-planning business: to give couples the perfect day. She knew that most marriages didn’t outlast their honeymoons, but she wanted to believe that marriage had to have more purpose than money.

“I want to help you and Ivy, but I just can’t,” she said with finality, shaking her head and pushing away from the table. “I won’t knowingly facilitate something so wrong.”

He exhaled slowly, then nodded. “Fine,” he said, though something in his voice told her he wasn’t giving up just yet. He reached across the table and placed his hand over hers, surprising her with the warmth of his touch. “But will you at least think about it? I’d do anything for Ivy, and I’m sure you understand that.”

Charlotte pulled her hand away slowly and stood up. She knew what it meant to protect those we love, and she admired Bastien’s dedication to his sister. But this wasn’t something she could get behind—not even if it meant helping his brilliant niece.

“I’ll think about it,” she said before quickly turning around and walking away from him, not wanting him to see how conflicted she felt about his offer. “Are you good for the night?”

He followed her into the living room and then to the door, where he opened it. “Yes, we’ll be fine.”

She picked up her bag by the door and walked out. As soon as she was out of sight, Charlotte wondered what kind of person would agree to a marriage like this. Was someone out there desperate enough—or perhaps even crazy enough—to go through with such a plan? Despite her misgivings, Charlotte felt obligated to at least look into things for Bastien’s sake, if for nothing else. After all, if he succeeded in keeping Ivy safe from his mother’s grasp, that would be worth any cost or risk, wouldn’t it?

She entered her home and went straight to the kitchen, turning on the kettle and preparing a cup of tea. When she opened the drawer to find her honey dipper, she was greeted by a stack of bills that screamed, “pay me.” She pulled them out and tossed them on the table. They slid across, and one fell to the floor. When she picked it up, she saw the mortgage company’s logo. She was already forty-five days behind on the loan she took against the house. How long would they give her before they took her house?

She poured her tea and sat there staring at the money she owed. A glance around her kitchen made her see the blinking light of her home phone. She rose and pressed in the code to retrieve the message.

“Hello, this is Maxine Felder from Prime Mutual, and we’d be happy to send an adjuster out. What about a week from Wednesday?” Charlotte didn’t listen for the number. All she heard was a week from Wednesday. She knew her shop would eventually get put back together, but that didn’t help her today.

When she went into business, she had a plan. She knew she was supposed to have at least a year’s worth of working capital, but thought she’d be okay with six months. She didn’t expect things to cost so much to begin with. Then again, her sense of luxury hadn’t conformed to a budget.

The message stopped abruptly with a beep, only to be replaced by a soft voice on a second message. It was Lola, whom she had asked to repair her beloved dress. But when the word unsalvageable was uttered, Charlotte felt a wave of misery wash over her. As much as she wanted to believe there was still hope, the tears that streamed down her cheeks told her otherwise. She wanted to scream and cry out in frustration, yet all she could do was sob into her hands.

She knew she had no other option. She needed the money, and Bastien was the only one offering any. With a heavy heart, she reached for her phone, her hand trembling as she composed the text. None of this felt right, but there was no other way.

Gripping her phone, she punched out a message.

Alright, I’ll do it.

She placed her phone back on the table and sipped her tea. Not once in her life, when she considered being a wedding planner, did she ever think she’d have to supply the bride. How was she going to pull this off?

CHAPTERSIXTEEN

Bastien searched the diner for a quiet corner after dropping Ivy at school, but it was even busier than usual. Charlotte insisted on meeting, and breakfast that wasn’t Cocoa Puffs sounded good. “Hi there, Bastien,” Cricket called as she directed him to a tall booth at the back. “Charlotte told me you were meeting and needed some privacy. I’d say get a room, but we hardly know each other, and Charlotte’s not that kind of girl,” Cricket teased. Bastien chuckled at the irreverence.

“Can I bring you some of my killer brew?”

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